Dermatologists have been leaders in the field of cosmetic surgery. Many procedures, products, and technologies in esthetic dermatologic surgery have been developed and researched by dermatologists. In addition, patients are increasingly turning to dermatologists for the management of concerns related…
Cutaneous laser surgery is a continually evolving area of dermatology. Development of new lasers, as well as improvements in existing lasers, continues to advance the field. As a result of this progress, laser surgery has become an extremely effective therapeutic…
Dermatology has always been a surgically oriented specialty. Although procedures such as curettage, biopsy, destruction, and excision have been key components of the field, the practice has evolved to include a greater number and extent of surgical procedures. This progression…
The visible pigmentation of the skin or hair is a combination of the amount of melanin, type of melanin (eumelanin vs. pheomelanin), degree of vascularity, presence of carotene, and thickness of the stratum corneum. Other materials can be deposited abnormally…
Raynaud Phenomenon and Raynaud Disease Raynaud phenomenon is characterized by episodic, recurrent vasospasm of the fingers and toes resulting in white, blue, and red discoloration provoked by cold or stress. When it occurs in the presence of an associated disease,…
Lesions on the mucous membranes may be more difficult to diagnose than lesions on the skin, and not merely because they are less easily and less often seen. There is less contrast of color and greater likelihood of alterations in…
Diseases of the Hair Normal human hairs can be classified according to cyclic phases of growth. Anagen hairs are growing hairs; catagen hairs are those undergoing transition from the growing to the resting stage; and telogen hairs are resting hairs,…
Cutaneous Lymphoid Hyperplasia (Lymphocytoma Cutis, Lymphadenosis Benigna Cutis, Pseudolymphoma) Benign cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia can be caused by medications, injected foreign substances, infections, and arthropod bites, or it may be idiopathic. If there is a histologic resemblance to lymphoma, the term…
Granulatomatous reactions generally represent patterns of chronic inflammation that may take a long time to develop and a long time to respond to treatment. Granulomatous inflammation can occur in the setting of inflammatory disorders (autoimmune, autoinflammatory), medication reactions, malignancies, and…
Melanocytes originate in the embryonal neural crest and migrate to the epidermis, dermis, leptomeninges, retina, mucous membrane epithelium, inner ear, cochlea, and vestibular system. Nevus cells are a form of melanocyte with a tendency to aggregate into clusters of cells.…